The soccer season just got better! Sure, the top two professional USL men’s leagues have been underway for a few months and the US Open Cup has just wrapped up the Round of 32… but its really the launch of the amateur leagues which signal that the summer of soccer is upon us.
Our writers and favorite contributors take a close look at the biggest storylines in USL League Two; will the legends of amateur soccer find their way to the playoffs yet again; what young organizations will upturn the apple carts this season; and who will look the best doing it?
The Round of 32 delivered in every way, continuing a run that has left soccer fans thrilled for the US Open Cup. Golazos galore and a couple of upsets made this round a pleasure to watch, but what I’m focusing on is what did we learn from this year’s Round of 32.
by Dan Vaughn
Each week we recap 3 of the best matches from the previous week, then preview 1 of the upcoming week’s matches. Hence the name, 3+1 (granted, this week in the W-League, we only had two matches). We kicked off the USL W League season this week and have plenty to celebrate!
by Dan Vaughn
With the big amateur leagues back in the swing of things, we’re bringing back our 3+1 series. Each week we’ll recap 3 of the best NPSL matches from the previous week, then preview 1 of the upcoming week’s matches. Hence the name, 3+1! Here’s this week’s edition.
by Dan Vaughn
The Round of 32 in the US Open Cup is upon us - we’ve followed our favorite amateur teams, underdogs, and Cinderella stories so far and this week Major League Soccer enters the fray. Our writers and guests take a look at the matchups and give you quick hits about who to look out for or what the vibes are so far. Who will be the big story after this week - who will provide the cupsets!
by Protagonist Staff and Guest Contributors
With the UPSL season well-underway, we were fortunate to have Emporia FC’s Director of Communications, Gabe Diaz-Serrano, reply to our request for an Under the Lights article. He was generous with his time and answered all of our questions about the club in the Midwest South Division of the United Premier Soccer League.
by Joshua Duder
The Minnesota Super Cup is a 6-team competition between clubs from various levels and leagues of lower league soccer in the state of Minnesota and is set to shine in its second year of existence. Created by some soccer fans who wanted more matchups between their local soccer clubs, the competition has grown into a fine example of what regional soccer can be.
by Dan Vaughn
With the USL Championship and USL League One well underway, their amateur sibling leagues get kicked off this week and we take a peek at some interesting USL W League and USL League Two matchups. Our favorite writers and guests also tell us all about the UPSL, NPSL, EPSL, SFSFL, and BSSL games to get stuck into - as if that weren’t enough, we also peek at the USASA National Amateur Cup, Round Two.
by Protagonist Staff
Rich Schenck continues his Midwest Premier League Origins series with a club that sprung from the mighty Detroit City. Liquid Football was a project brought to life by two products of DCFC and now is showing success in the MWPL.
by Rich Schenck
In the world of amateur soccer, rosters are full of players not making a penny for their sweat and hard work. Minneapolis City announced a new NIL collective that will benefit its players by sharing 20% of sales on its new merchandise line, Minnesota Made. The deal appears to be the first of its kind in USL League Two.
by Dan Vaughn